Sorry; forgot the URL. Paul http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gentutor/trails.html#roads Subject: early roads Here is a decent website for early roads from the eastern Tidewater to the west backcountry. Take a look at "Federal Road" for travel from the Carolinas west into GA, AL and beyond.

Here is a decent website for early roads from the eastern Tidewater to the west backcountry. Take a look at "Federal Road" for travel from the Carolinas west into GA, AL and beyond.

There is supposedly a reference to the Ferry, ferry boats that Richard Murphy owned or operated on James River in Vol 7,p. 215 of Henings Statutes of VA. I have never seen these Volumes, it is not easy to find much on VA history here in Eastern Washington. However, I will make a trip to the library in Spokane. Perhaps, they have them. Thanks to those who responded about the Ferries and such. Georgia

And many did so with goods for sale and then walked back home. ----- Original Message ----- -SOUTHSIDE-L] Ferries on the James River While we are discussing migration routes and ferries, we should not forget the waterways themselves. Some folks just made a raft and floated down the river! Mickey

Hello dear friends, I was curious about Georgia's question about ferry boats and I opened a delightful book my sister once gave me titled: THE JAMES, WHERE A NATION BEGAN, by Parke Rouse, Jr. Chapter nine is "The Green path" to Carolina. You might find this helpful. "Most former Indian trails in eastern America are unmarked, but many are becoming better known. Virginia was criss-crossed in prehistoric times by forest paths used by aborigines in their migrations, trading and wars. many major highways today follow those primeval redmen's trails. Many important early trails developed around the James. One of the most used Virginia-North Carolina trails on early maps was called "Green's Path". It was named for the Reverend roger Green of Nansemond County, who successfully petitioned the Virginia Assembly in 1653 for nearly 11,000 acres of land below the Roanoke river for the first 100 settlers who would claim them. The route Green's settlers followed south became "Green's Path." >From 1653 onward, more Virginians dared to go to Carolina and brave the Indians of the region. The route they used is much the same as U.S. Route 95. It goes south from Petersburg to Emporia, Roanoke Rapids, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Smithfield in North Carolina, and Fayetteville. Early English maps identify Green's Path as a trading path once used by Indians roaming from Virginia to the Cherokee forests of western North Carolina. Apparently Roger Green's settlers followed an old Indian trail. In North Carolina's Indian Wars of 1711, one Colonel Barnwell of South Carolina is described as leading south Carolina men up Green's Path to help North Carolina settlers fight the Tuscarora tribe." "...one result of the use of Green's Path by Virginians is the survival in the Carolina country many early Virginia family names. Because colonial North Carolina had no deep water port to dock English ships, most early NC settlement was by families who had come to Jamestown, Yorktown, Hampton, Norfolk, and other Virginia ports and gone south on foot or by boat." anyone from Virginia who travels today through this Carolina region will note many Southside names: Bunkley, Brinkley, Crumpler, Pittman, Chapman, Battle, Darden, Morrisette, Norfleet, Underwood, Pretlow, Gwaltney, Cofer, Crocker, Durham, Duke, Bridger, Holland, and others. Many Carolinians in this area trace their families to Virginia." Margaret

In my book, citing "Public Acts of Virginia In Force and Use, Jan. 1, 1758" (John Mercer, Price and Patterson, Glasgow, 1759, pp.140-144), I state that by the year 1700 there were dozens of ferries operating in VA, and in 1760 there were no less than 135 that were licensed by the colony, plus no telling how many that were unlicensed. (Drake, "Now In Our Fourth Century, etc.", Heritage Books, Bowie MD, 1994, p. 85) I would suggest that you review the history and licenses records of the counties in which your ancestor may have operated such a ferry, as I know of no other source, except the volume mentioned. If you find such a full listing, better tell us all. Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: Georgia Walsh Ferries on the James River Does anyone have any information about the ferries on the James River during the early later 1600's and early 1700's. I have seen on a website where Richard Murphy had a ferry that crossed the James, near Westover. Any truth to this? Thanks, Georgia

Thanks to everyone for the information and suggestions regarding roads south from Brunswick Co. VA to Georgia. The family in question, Atkinsons, actually owned Smoky Ordinary, near Lawrenceville, situated on the stage road leading from Petersburg to Halifax, NC. Interstate 95 still closely follows the route. I assume they traveled stage roads south to Augusta, GA, which I believe were well established and had been since before the Revolution. The area in which they settled was just SW of Atlanta, and at some point Atlanta became a rail center, so they could eventually have switched to rail travel for at least part of the trip by, say, the 1840s. Between the invention of the cotton gin in the 1790s and the Civil War, the entire region between eastern GA and east Texas was cleared and settled and planted in cotton. There had to be passable roads to handle that vast migration of people. I will do some more research and past any relevant information along, as there does seem to be an interest in the subject. Thanks again, Bill Mallory ----- Original Message ----- From: paul drake To: William Mallory ; [email protected] Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 5:55 PM Subject: early VA to GA roads Folks traveled at about 10 miles per day, both walking or by horse. I do not believe there were yet stagecoaches from Brunswick south, however one of the Brunswick historians on here should know. If there were ANY stage roads, those were few and far between, and on those, one could make 20-25 miles a day. I do recall an ancient north/south Indian trail from Petersburg, Fredericksburg and then s into and through Brunswick to NC, however I do not remember where from there it continued on. Were I to guess, I would say they traveled by horse to Salisbury, NC and thence toward Franklin, NC and then further south to GA. You might try Google for "early GA roads" or "early NC roads". Good luck and why not share what you learn with us all. Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: William Mallory To: paul drake ; VA- Speaking of research, perhaps someone can direct me to some information about 19th century travel. Some members of one of my Brunswick County families migrated down to western Georgia in the 1830s. I have good documentation that many visits were made to Georgia over the next forty years by the family members who had remained in Virginia. I am particularly interested in knowing what travel was like for them in the 1832-1853 period.

Does anyone have any information about the ferries on the James River during the early later 1600's and early 1700's. I have seen on a website where Richard Murphy had a ferry that crossed the James, near Westover. Any truth to this? Thanks, Georgia

Some seem unable to see where they are on the map I sent in the following URL. Magnify it a tad and straight and immediately below the "o" in SC, you will se Columbia, SC. Immediately below and a bit to the left of the "R" in NC is Charlotte, NC. Follow the roads north from Charlotte and on the west (left) road immediately above the dotted line (NC-VA border) you will see Danville, VA. It lies on the early east-west trail to TN that is now US 58 of which I spoke earlier. Salisbury is about at the "o" in NC, though it seems strange that it was not marked, since it was a thriving area long before 1825. Paul http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1826m3.jpg

For those who asked, here is a map showing proposes routes from the east to GA. Though this ignores the western NC trails, it does reveal the locations of some primitive roads following the ancient Indian trails and passing through VA. Perhaps copies of this may be purchased from U of GA. Paul http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1826m3.jpg

<<<How about it, Lee? Have you a comment that might help us all ?? Paul <<<<< It would depend what part of Virginia one was traveling from to Ga as to the route taken. Virginia and NC were settled from East to the West, generally speaking, however by 1800 several roads had been opened across the Blue Ridge Mountains which allowed movement from the Valley of Virginia southward toward NC and beyond. After 1800 these roads allowed many who settled in southside Va and NC to move west to Tennesse, Ky, Indiana and beyond. The Cumberland Gap was definitely not on any road or trail one would have traveled from VA or NC to Ga. Most people who have never seen the Blue Ridge Mountain do not realize the barrier it presented between the Valley of Virginia and southside Va. and NC. There were few gaps or passes in the mountain chain which would allow wagon travel. There were two near Roanoke, Va., one near Bedford, Va. and the other between Rocky Mount and Salem Va. The latter was the pass through which the Great Wagon Road was built. This road took pioneers to Surry Co., NC and the Yadkin River area and from there to Georgia. Another gap in the Blue Ridge was near present day Hillsville, Va. Lead mined on the New River was hauled through this gap to the Moravian Towns at Winston Salem, NC and used to make pottery. Many pioneers crossed the mountain at this point after 1800 as they moved to Grayson co., Va. and later to east Tennessee and westward. The road from Salem Va. southwest into Tennessee is sometimes called the Wilderness Road or the Great Stage Road. It does not cross the Blue Ridge Mountain but does cross a couple of small mountains in the Valley of Virginia. This road originally went to Fort Loudon near the Cherokee Towns at the foot of the Smokey Mountains. The section of this road from Fort Chiswell on the New River to Ft. Loudon was impassable by wagon when the army tried to rescue the men at Ft. Loudon and could not be fixed in time to bring the men relief. Remember, this was some 25 years before settlers made their way through Cumberland Gap to homestead in Kentucky. Contrary to popular belief, Daniel Boone did not build the road through Cumberland Gap. End of history lesson for today! G. Lee Hearl Authentic Appalachian Storyteller Abingdon, Va.

I found a roadmap of the Jacksonville NC area dating 1940 at a flea market at the Richmond Raceway Complex . I 've enjoyed looking at since my dad was from that area and it helped give me a bit of perspective on the area he knew as a young man. I also have a recent county map of the same area on a bulletin board here in my "office"-it reads somewhat like my family tree since so many of the roads are named after my kin. It helps too,when someone writes about an area I am not real familiar with and can see it on the map. Just my two cents worth on the subject of maps..... Donna ROCHELLE Kennedy

Thanks, Lee; good information. For twenty years I lived immediately off the road through Crab Orchard Gap 60 miles west of Knoxville through the Cumberlands. That "road" was widened from a bridle/foot trail to "9 ft in width suitable for the passage of carts" by act of the NC Legislature in 1796. That act opened a more direct road to Nashville, the Southwest, and beyond and was shorter than the Wilderness Rd. and then south toward TN/GA. 20 miles west of that Gap the new road (now US70 - I-40) intersected with now US #127, that being and ancient Indian trading trail between the KY/NW Territory Indians and the Cherokees of Chattanooga area and Choctaws south. From there, the old road went on south into GA, however that was a longer route, again, than down the east side of the Blue Ridge and thence west to GA. Paul It would depend what part of Virginia one was traveling from to Ga as to the route taken. Virginia and NC were settled from East to the West, generally speaking, however by 1800 several roads had been opened across the Blue Ridge Mountains which allowed movement from the Valley of Virginia southward toward NC and beyond. After 1800 these roads allowed many who settled in southside Va and NC to move west to Tennesse, Ky, Indiana and beyond. The Cumberland Gap was definitely not on any road or trail one would have traveled from VA or NC to Ga. Most people who have never seen the Blue Ridge Mountain do not realize the barrier it presented between the Valley of Virginia and southside Va. and NC. There were few gaps or passes in the mountain chain which would allow wagon travel. There were two near Roanoke, Va., one near Bedford, Va. and the other between Rocky Mount and Salem Va. The latter was the pass through which the Great Wagon Road was built. This road took pioneers to Surry Co., NC and the Yadkin River area and from there to Georgia. Another gap in the Blue Ridge was near present day Hillsville, Va. Lead mined on the New River was hauled through this gap to the Moravian Towns at Winston Salem, NC and used to make pottery. Many pioneers crossed the mountain at this point after 1800 as they moved to Grayson co., Va. and later to east Tennessee and westward. The road from Salem Va. southwest into Tennessee is sometimes called the Wilderness Road or the Great Stage Road. It does not cross the Blue Ridge Mountain but does cross a couple of small mountains in the Valley of Virginia. This road originally went to Fort Loudon near the Cherokee Towns at the foot of the Smokey Mountains. The section of this road from Fort Chiswell on the New River to Ft. Loudon was impassable by wagon when the army tried to rescue the men at Ft. Loudon and could not be fixed in time to bring the men relief. Remember, this was some 25 years before settlers made their way through Cumberland Gap to homestead in Kentucky. Contrary to popular belief, Daniel Boone did not build the road through Cumberland Gap. End of history lesson for today! G. Lee Hearl Authentic Appalachian Storyteller Abingdon, Va.

I have usually been able to get detailed maps of a county at the courthouse. They typically include back roads, cemeteries, churches, and other local places of interest. They are usually free or very inexpensive. Sometimes they also have plat maps showing land owners at certain periods of time. Judy Penrod Purcell Duncanville, TX ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 4:00 AM Subject: VA-SOUTHSIDE-D Digest V03 #120

Hi, Audrey. I surely agree, and I do not think that any researcher is able to do much without some knowledge of the migration trails and why those existed. In my dictionary, under "roads, early" I speak of the several that were of GREAT importance. As to the question of Brunswick to GA, I think it would have been a very much longer journey to have gone far north to Cumberland Gap in their efforts to go to GA. Salisbury was a major terminal on the wagon roads from the north and east, and from there primitive roads in all directions extended south, west and northwest toward Asheville and - yes - from there toward the great Gap and thence into KY and the NW Territory. The road west from Emporia, South Hill, South Boston, Danville, etc. and on to NE TN (now US #58) was a major road west, and it, as did the roads west from Salisbury toward the back country - GA, AL and further west and south - all skirted the Cherokee lands, That fear, albeit more imagined than real, continued till Jackson's era, immediately following which (1837/38) those Indians who had not hidden in the Blue Ridge, the Smokeys, and in the TN/NC mountains were sent to the West - the Trail of Tears. It is because of that need (and fear) that I suspect the early 19th century movement was across NC and then east of the mountains and south to the westward "roads" into GA and west. How about it, Lee? Have you a comment that might help us all ?? Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: Audrey Pool To: paul drake Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 SOUTHSIDE-L] early VA to Carolines- GA roads Paul, The Cumberland Gap Road, and the Wilderness Road come to mind. I am not an historian, but think about it. Does that count?

Folks traveled at about 10 miles per day, both walking or by horse. I do not believe there were yet stagecoaches from Brunswick south, however one of the Brunswick historians on here should know. If there were ANY stage roads, those were few and far between, and on those, one could make 20-25 miles a day. I do recall an ancient north/south Indian trail from Petersburg, Fredericksburg and then s into and through Brunswick to NC, however I do not remember where from there it continued on. Were I to guess, I would say they traveled by horse to Salisbury, NC and thence toward Franklin, NC and then further south to GA. You might try Google for "early GA roads" or "early NC roads". Good luck and why not share what you learn with us all. Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: William Mallory To: paul drake ; VA- Speaking of research, perhaps someone can direct me to some information about 19th century travel. Some members of one of my Brunswick County families migrated down to western Georgia in the 1830s. I have good documentation that many visits were made to Georgia over the next forty years by the family members who had remained in Virginia. I am particularly interested in knowing what travel was like for them in the 1832-1853 period.

Georgia Walsh asked about detailed maps of Virginia with watercourses on them--a necessity for those of us doing early Virginia research. I was advised by a well-known genealogist at the Virginia State Library years ago to purchase the maps put out by the Virginia Department of Transportation, which I did--a big box of them, which they mailed to me. Subsequently, I told a friend of mine about this, and she got a bound (big book) book of such maps. The trouble with these transportation maps, if there are a LOT of roads, as in present-day Fairfax Co., the creeks are overridden and do not appear. However, if your storage space is limited, ask your bookstore (or Willowbend books, a genealogical bookstore, which has a website) about a DeLorme atlas for Virginia (and any other state in which you are interested). The trouble with my particular version of the Delorme Atlas is that it is not well indexed. The index does not list all the creeks, runs, etc. which you and I are seeking. I have seen another Delorme Atlas of another state, however, and that one seemed to be better indexed. With Delorme, you will need a magnifying glass, as the obscure creek which you and I are seeking is in a faint green or blue color, hard on aging eyes. But this does not take up as much room as the VA Transportation maps do. A lot of us use the online USGS maps also, if you want a quick answer. E.W.Wallace PS the person at the Archives said the trouble with Virginia watercourses was name changes, but so far, most of the time, I have been lucky. One lecturer was telling us how we could plat the land where our ancestors lived. I asked the question, what if that land is now under a big lake?? (In the case of my NC ancestors.) She said, well, I guess you can look at the lake!!! I see a lot of lakes in Virginia now!!!

Bet that would be Lake Norman!!! :-) ----- Original Message ----- E.W.Wallace PS One lecturer was telling us how we could plat the land where our ancestors lived. I asked the question, what if that land is now under a big lake?? (In the case of my NC ancestors.) She said, well, I guess you can look at the lake!!! I see a lot of lakes in Virginia now!!!

Bill, the state of GA settled from East to West. In the early 1800s, west GA was still very much Indian land. I have a record that I found where an ancestor went from GA to TN and had to get a *passport*. What that was, I do not know but they were passing through Indian lands had needed it. This area of GA is very hilly. Some areas are actually mountainous. So travel would be difficult. This area and the area of East AL are the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and very dense forest. However if you get a map of the migration trails you will likely see that they used a road that was an Indian trail to travel. This is much like the Nathez Trace but not as well known. Gale

To those of you who have responded to my request for access to County maps of Virginia. thank you all! I have printed the order form from the VA Dept. of Transportation website and will be ordering from them. No one has mentioned whether or not cemetery are marked on these DOT maps. Does anyone know? I have used the maps from the Dept. of Trans. in other states and have found them to be very helpful. I am somewhat hesitant to order from another source, because I have a South Carolina atlas that is good, but not wondeful. So will be looking for other sources for SC as well. I will check the US Survey maps as well. I have so many lines, as do most of us, that started in VA, so I want the maps in order to locate the areas from which my ancestors came. Georgia